Researchers at the University of Tokyo are developing tangile holograms -- or rather, a system that uses sensors and Nintendo Wiimotes to give the impression of physical contact by holograms:

A retroreflective marker is attached on the tip of user's middle finger," the researchers explain on their website. "IR LEDs illuminate the marker and two Wiimotes sense the 3D position of the finger. Owing to this hand-tracking system, the users can handle the floating virtual image with their hands."

In the video, the researchers demonstrate how a user can dribble a virtual bouncing ball, feel virtual raindrops bouncing off their hand, and feel a small virtual creature crawling on their palm. The researchers hope that the technology will have applications in video games, 3D CADs, and other uses.

Hurp derp. The submissions to Neatorama keep getting worse. The sentence was written: "..a system that uses sensors and Nintendo Wiimotes to give the impression of physical contact by holograms", but should have been written as "a system that uses ultrasonic pulses to give the impression of physical contact by holograms".

I just finished a fictional short story about the experience of a person who was a tester for such a device. It's called "The Wizard of West Orange" in the anthology, "Best American Short Stories 2008". It was not pervy but was disconcerting nonetheless.